fix(gateway): inject PATH + VIRTUAL_ENV into launchd plist for macOS service (#3585)

Salvage of PR #2173 (hanai) and PR #3432 (timknip).

Injects PATH, VIRTUAL_ENV, and HERMES_HOME into the macOS launchd plist so gateway subprocesses find user-installed tools (node, ffmpeg, etc.). Matches systemd unit parity with venv/bin, node_modules/.bin, and resolved node dir in PATH. Includes 7 new tests and docs updates across 4 pages.

Co-Authored-By: Han <ihanai1991@gmail.com>
Co-Authored-By: timknip <timknip@users.noreply.github.com>
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Teknium 2026-03-28 14:23:26 -07:00 committed by GitHub
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@ -357,6 +357,23 @@ lsof -i :8080
hermes config show
```
#### macOS: Node.js / ffmpeg / other tools not found by gateway
**Cause:** launchd services inherit a minimal PATH (`/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin`) that doesn't include Homebrew, nvm, cargo, or other user-installed tool directories. This commonly breaks the WhatsApp bridge (`node not found`) or voice transcription (`ffmpeg not found`).
**Solution:** The gateway captures your shell PATH when you run `hermes gateway install`. If you installed tools after setting up the gateway, re-run the install to capture the updated PATH:
```bash
hermes gateway install # Re-snapshots your current PATH
hermes gateway start # Detects the updated plist and reloads
```
You can verify the plist has the correct PATH:
```bash
/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Print :EnvironmentVariables:PATH" \
~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.hermes.gateway.plist
```
---
### Performance Issues